This weekend’s MLS action was tainted by the continued insistence of the league not to break or at the very least reduce its schedule for international matches. Landon Donovan, Brad Guzan, Mo Edu, Frankie Hejduk and Rico Clark should not have to take a long flight after one international match only to take a similar length flight after the MLS match back to Europe. But it wasn’t simply Americans who were inconvenienced by MLS’ scheduling this weekend: if it were simply Americans I suppose it would be alright. Six Canadian players were busy battling mighty Brazil while several other MLS players were scattered throughout the world playing for their countries. Amado Guevara, Ivan Guerrero and their Honduran team mates were in my neck of the woods in Fort Lauderdale facing Venezuela. Kei Kamara and Bouna Counduil were in Africa for World Cup qualifiers, and Carl Robinson was in Wales to face Holland in the final tune up for the Dutch before the Euros begin. Several other MLS players were also absent this past weekend and will be absent for several matches in the next month.
MLS is watering down its product and cheating its fans, players and management by making no effort to resolve its scheduling issues during this period. The on the field product while acceptable isn’t what it should be during this period and that makes the whole situation laughable.
Why MLS cannot change its scheduling practices is beyond me. For the first time since the inaugural season of 1996, MLS has a great number of players who are active on their respective national teams and whose presence as full internationals enhances the reputation of the league. But all of this jeopardized if the league does not make it possible for footballers to perform for both their club and country without conflict.
Some other thoughts:
<ul>
<li>Jeff Cunningham had a great finish for TFC’s second goal but didn’t finish his other opportunities leaving me to believe Cunningham is most certainly in decline and may not after all catch Jaime Moreno and Ante Razov as the top two MLS scorers all time.</li>
<li>The Galaxy’s young guns didn’t get a result without Landon Donovan and David Beckham Saturday but certainly showed they could hold their own and create scoring chances. Now I am of the belief that Beckham is less valuable to the team than Donovan and thus getting Becks back next weekend will not solve all the problems the team has.</li>
<li>Chivas USA is on a roll and what more can you say about the Sueno MLS program? Jorge Flores is not only a good MLS player, he could be solution for the national team and this kid flew completely under the radar for years. That’s a failure of the USSF’s development programs.</li>
<li>Jesse Marsch is having a renaissance in 2008. Marsch is a winner: he’s never been on a bad team in his 13 year MLS career and he wasn’t about to allow this year’s Chivas team to go down the tubes.</li>
<li>Tam MacManus is quickly becoming one of my favorite MLS players and his game winning goal was a thing of beauty.</li>
<li>FC Dallas is in troubl: we already knew that, but solving the trouble may be as simple as incorporating Dominic Oduro and Abe Thompson in the attacking flow rather than dallying around in the midfield. In other words the Hoops unlike the other struggling teams in MLS may not need a talent upgrade: they need a change in philosophy.</li>
<li>Columbus looks listless and now is scoreless in close to 300 minutes.</li>
<li>Houston without Onstad and DeRo record a clean sheet against the Red Bulls. It helps that Juan Pablo Angel wasn’t playing.</li>
<li>DC Unite’s backline and goal keeping situation is not salvageable.</li>
<li>Kheli Dube is the latest amazing find of the Revolution’s scouting network, and once again Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner find the best hidden games available to an MLS club.</li>
<li>Panama looked impressive versus Guatemala on Sunday. Without Carlos Ruiz Guatemala was tentative and trying to bog match down in midfield until late when Guatemala needed an equalizer. 1-0 Panama victory sets up qualifying nicely for them.</li>
<li>Canada’s performance against Brazil Saturday night should strike fear into the hearts of Honduras and Mexico who will face Canada in the first qualifying group. I personally am the first person to write off Canada because of the mess that is their federation, but the Canadians controlled more of the match than the US has ever controlled against Brazil and seem to have the right mix of players to give a top team fits. Mexico has more to worry about right now: facing a coaching change and a transition between generations of players and a crisis of confidence. Honduras who struggled with Venezuela the other night has the type of attacking players in David Suazo, Amado Guevara, and Carlos Costly both the US and Mexico wish they had right now.</li>
</ul>

MLS Wrap and Other Notes - World Soccer Talk

MLS Wrap and Other Notes

Guevara has accomplished more than just about any current MLS player in this league
Inspired by our buddy <a href="http:\/\/sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_ylt=Ap3oGtji6iFnp9QbsXWcfqWkvrYF?slug=ro-mlstoptwenty050708&amp;prov=yhoo&amp;type=lgns">Martin Rogers list of the top players overall in MLS</a>, we’ve come up with a list of the top eight non US or Canadian players in MLS.
1- Amado Guevara, Toronto FC
Guevara has been one of the best players in CONCACAF over the past eight years for Honduras and also when not fighting with his coaches and team mates the best player in MLS. As I said a year ago when Preki dumped him, not a single player in MLS would I take over him, and that applies again this season.
2- Shalrie Joseph, New England
This is a pick with an asterisk because Joseph is in many ways more American than many guys who have played for our national team. But Joseph plays for Greneda so he makes this least. Fierce in organizing the midfield, a tenacious ball winner and dangerous going forward, Joseph is one of the biggest reasons the Revs have been so good for so long.
3- Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus
The Boca Juniors legend is writing a new page in his footballing history in Columbus. Schelotto has a talent few others have to make those around him that much better.
4- Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago
Such a hate-able player for Mexico and Club America has become the sporting face of MLS. Besides his game isn’t that bad either. Blanco makes all his team mates better and for that he comes in near the top of this list.
5- Christian Gomez, Colorado
For a player without a national team call up, Gomez found his niche early in MLS. This league is unique to any other league in the world and it is tough to understand for some why national team stars flop here while uncapped players excel. Gomez fits this league like a glove.
6- Carlos Ruiz, LA Galaxy
He’s done nothing but score goals in MLS. Quick to the ground and quick to whine he like Blanco is tough to like. But his game speaks for itself and he’ll give the Galaxy a huge boost when he returns.
7- David Beckham, LA Galaxy
Despite the hullabaloo about the “Beckham effect,” it has been a mostly off the field phenomena. Beckham needs good players around him to excel and in MLS no team has enough good players for Beckham to have the impact he did with Man United or Real Madrid. (Especially the LA Galaxy who have less serviceable players than any team in either the Mexican top flight or MLS) He can turn in a moment of brilliance and if this league was of a better quality he’d be #1 on this list because nobody on the planet can do what he can, but in MLS his talent is largely wasted.
8- Juan Pablo Angel, NY Red Bulls
Angel’s international career with Columbia was a bust but his performances on the club level have been fairly respectable. Still Angel needs a striker to play off of as was the case at Aston Villa. Jozy Altidore despite the hype, isn’t that player just yet. He will be soon enough but one assumes by the time he’s there he’ll be plying his trade in Europe.
Honorable Mention:&nbsp; Laurent Robert, Toronto FC, Juan Toja, FC Dallas, Dave Van Den Bergh, Red Bulls, Gonzalo Martinez, DC United, Carl Robinson, Toronto FC, Gonzalo Segaras, Chicago, Kenny Deuchar, Real Salt Lake.

The Top Eight Foreign Players in MLS - World Soccer Talk

The Top Eight Foreign Players in MLS

<ul>
<li>Amado Guevara’s signing has turned Toronto FC from a laughing stockinto one of the top teams in the league right now. That’s what a Latin flavored #10 can do when surrounded by legitimate European talent that has survived in tougher leagues than MLS. Moreover, the success of TFC shows that despite boasts of MLS’ improvement, players who are marginal squad members in the English Championship can come to MLS and have early success. While MLS from a quality and skill standpoint is better than the English Championship, players who come from the British Isles are tougher and more understanding of a football culture than most Americans who come from the college ranks, from USL or even from within MLS. No wonder MLS has so much trouble in Continental competitions and proving itself to the more snobbish fans in its own nation.</li>
<li>I don’t want to get into comparisons of leagues on different continents so do not interpret the above statement to mean that I am claiming the League Championship is better than MLS. Major League Soccer has far more accomplished internationals in it than does the English second division, however I am merely stating that the competitive aspects of the game in England that are missing in the US have allowed the British based players that have signed with TFC to compliment a superstar like Amado Guevara more quickly than would a set of American players who come from a less competitive atmosphere. But the key for TFC is Guevara, an MLS veteran, not any of the recent British based signings.</li>
<li>Watching games at Toronto is becoming more and more difficult for me as the field turf at BMO field has a bigger and bigger impact on each passing match. For MLS to be taken seriously, TFC must at a minimum be forced to replace that carpet each year. The same goes for any club that owns or operates a stadium with turf in it.</li>
<li>Steve Nicol continues to prove the doubters wrong with his ability to identify talent and then integrate the discovered players within his system. Shalrie Joseph playing in an advanced role Thursday night was a brilliant tactical move that put FC Dallas on its heels.</li>
<li>Khano Smith has an under appreciated left foot and works hard to find space out wide. I was happy to see him score the winning goal.</li>
<li>Dario Sala had another good game for the Hoops, and Ray Burse Jr. may wonder if his future lies elsewhere.</li>
<li>DC United’s attack looked outstanding against RSL, and while Salt Lake looked dangerous at times, their backline continues to be worrying to say the least.</li>
<li>I was impressed by the flair Santino Quaranta continues to show in his comeback. It is not unreasonable to think Quaranta may be able to work his way back into the US National Team setup after being a teenage flame out under Bruce Arena.</li>
<li>Real Salt Lake has too many attacking weapons to be struggling so mightily. Every time I watch them play they look solid but simply cannot finish and have trouble at the back.</li>
<li>I’m wondering if RSL has chemistry problems with so many above average players but yet no real standout types.</li>
<li>Jason Kreis playing Carey Talley at holding midfielder was an interesting move. It seemed to work at first even when RSL conceded two penalty kicks. But in the end the new formation could not slow down United.</li>
<li>Marcello Gallardo wearing #10 and having longish hair made me do some double takes: I believed Marco Ethcheverry was playing at times!</li>
<li>Columbus has serious problems finishing. We saw it against Red Bull in a defeat and now have seen it in the last three victories. Missing so many easy opportunities gave Houston an opportunity to equalize late, and Wade Barrett was oh so unlucky that Will Hesmer read his shot perfectly.</li>
<li>I did not see Chicago-Colorado, but was happy for John Thorrington, the Manchester United academy and reserve player whose US national team career was a non starter and whose club career was complicated. Thorrington scored a brace against the Rapids.</li>
<li>Sacha Kljestan’s influence on the Chivas USA attack cannot be understated. His free kick goal was a thing of beauty and his ability to create counter attacking opportunities in the first half was important to keeping the Super Classico competitive for a while.</li>
<li>Ante Razov almost never misses from point blank range. That’s something Steve Cronin needs to remember for the next Super Classico.</li>
<li>Landon Donovan is not only the best American player in a generation, he quite possibly is the only difference between a US team today which is moving forward, and the US team of the early 1990s with some skilled players but zero opportunity to consistently play at a high level. Donovan’s performance last night was simply world class. That is an overused term, but that is what Landon Donovan on his day is.</li>
<li>Alan Gordon had a great impact for the Galaxy coming off the bench.</li>
<li>Brad Guzan’s regression over the first month of the MLS season culminated with a totally unforgivable mistake on the go ahead goal for the Galaxy. Guzan looks completely unsure of himself between the pipes. Perhaps it is the shambolic back line and the stalled development of Jonathan Bornstein? Perhaps it is lingering unhappiness about his work permit not being awarded for a move to Aston Villa? Perhaps it is simply a rough patch, but right now Guzan cannot be counted on as a backup to Tim Howard or Kasey Keller in any US World Cup qualifier this summer or fall.</li>
<li>If people aren’t willing to give MLS a chance and feel the intensity and quality of play is inferior to European or Latin American football, they need to watch either a match from RFK Stadium or a Superclassico to understand we do have passion here and we understand the game as well. Oh yeah, and some pretty good football is being played also.</li>
</ul>

MLS Wrap and Other Notes

Amado Guevara

MLS Wrap and Other Notes

Amado Guevara

The Top Eight Foreign Players in MLS

Alan Gordon

Sunday Morning MLS Review; April 27, 2008